"It will be different but it will still be great" – The Walking Dead season 9 director outlines what to expect from a show without Rick

There's no going back now.

Welp. The Walking Dead season 9 is now almost definitely going down the path less travelled: Rick Grimes is leaving. Don’t take my word for it, take the word of the hastily-deleted Instagram post of one of the show’s directors. He not only posted a heartfelt tribute to Andrew Lincoln, but also gave a few tantalising comments on the show’s future without their main man.

Michael Satrazemis, who has directed over a dozen episodes of the show, took to social media to essentially put the final nail in the coffin when it comes to those Rick rumours. (H/T Reddit)

While much of it is (rightly) a series of glowing comments to Andrew Lincoln, therein lies a couple of lines that tease what to expect from The Walking Dead season 9.

Of course, someone working on the show is going to say it’s “great” but you have reason to believe that heading off in a completely new direction might do absolute wonders for a show that has been shambling along for a couple of years now. It’s the mention of “it will be different” that really catches the eye, though.

Now, losing your protagonist will inevitably give the show a different vibe, but it makes me wonder just how different things are going to get. This is uncharted territory for The Walking Dead: an almost complete break from the comics and an opportunity to carve a brand-new niche for itself. Not many shows get that chance – but is it one The Walking Dead season 9 will savour… or screw up?

Mark your calendars, people: The Walking Dead season 9 is just one of many new TV shows coming your way in 2018.